Louis N. Parker

“ PHARAOH. Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled; only in the throne will I be greater than thou. [He rises.] Joseph art thou no more, but I will call thee Zaphenath Paneah, the prince of the days to be. [He comes down from the throne to JOSEPH, who is standing dazed. He draws off his signet-ring and places it on JOSEPH'S finger.] See! I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. ”

“ Serah. Father, it is I! My child is dying!
Jacob. Joseph, my beloved, is dead; and Simeon is a captive in a strange land.
Serah. But we, the living, are an-hungered.
Reuben. All the seed of Israel will surely perish.
Jacob. Go again; buy us a little food.
Judah. The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother, Benjamin, be with you.
Jacob.. Me have ye bereaved of my children; Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take away Benjamin, whom his mother died in bearing: all these things are against me. ”

“ Thinkest thou the Pharaoh loveth him? Who is the king in Egypt? Not the Pharaoh, but this upstart. Do the Nobles love him, whose gold, whose cattle, whose lands and whose bodies he hath taken for a peck of corn? Strike! and Egypt shall call thee the Deliverer! [She throws off her veil]
Simeon. Woman! Thine eyes blaze through the night!
Zuleika. Strike! And thou shalt see them blaze with another flame!
Simeon. Woman! Woman! Thou pourest poison into my veins!
Zuleika. Set the Pharaoh free; redeem thy brother! Deliver Egypt; slay the man I hate——
Simeon [Quickly] Why dost thou hatest him? ”

“ Joseph [Gravely] It shall be as you say. Yourselves and your lands ye shall bind to Pharaoh, and food shall be given you, and seed to sow your land. Go within. Let each man write out his account.
Tehuti. My lord is very merciful!
[They pass into the house with every token of despair. One veils his face, weeping] Sebni. He holdeth us in the hollow of his hand!
Atha. What care I? Shall I see my children starve?
[Exeunt]
[Joseph turns with a grave smile to Simeon] Joseph. Well, Simeon, my—guest—what thinkest thou of what thou seest in Egypt? ”

“ The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
[All stretch their arms out to him in the soft afterglow of the sunset] Joseph. He raiseth the poor from the dust; from the depths He lifteth up the needy. Oh, Lord of Hosts, happy is the man who trusteth in Thee! ”

“ Enter the four SOLDIERS and TEHUTI, supporting JOSEPH. The CROWD make way for them, falling back among the pillars of the side aisles, and an "Oh!" of amazement and pity issues from it. JOSEPH is, indeed, a pitiable figure. His camel-hair garment is in rags; his hair is long and wild; his face is pinched and drawn; his eyes are sunken. His frame is wasted away to skin and bone and he is shaken with fever and ague, so that he can hardly stand. ”

“ Egyptians. Too merciful! Slay them all!
[At a sign from Joseph the Egyptians leave the hall and the curtains are closed]
[Judah brings Benjamin forward. He begins very quietly, very humbly; but as he goes on, he is carried away by the pathos of his own words. Towards the middle of his speech, Joseph veils his face. Asenath weeps silently']
Judah. Oh, my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant, for thou art even as the Pharaoh.—My lord asked his servant saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? ”

“ Joseph. [Blandly] Then said I, Give your cattle; and I gave you bread in return for your cattle.
Atha. And now we come again entreating thy help.
Dedefre. We will not hide from my lord that our money is spent——
Atha. My lord hath also our herds of cattle.
Tehuti. [Bitterly] There is not aught left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.
Atha. [With increasing violence] Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land!
Dedefre. Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be the servants unto the Pharaoh! ”

“ ASENATH and the two BOYS go behind the tables prepared for them. JOSEPH comes to the front of the platform.]
JOSEPH: [Gently.] Rise, friends. [A pause] Welcome, ye Hebrew Brethren! Is all well with you?
REUBEN: [Standing forward.] All is well with us, my lord. [He crosses and kneels at the foot of the platform.] Lo, we have brought an humble gift for my lord. Honey and spices, myrrh, nuts and almonds. It is not worth my lord's notice.
JOSEPH: The spirit of the gift is all. Is your father well? The old man of whom ye spoke? Is he yet alive?
REUBEN: Thy servant, our father, is in good health ”

“ SCENE II—The Great Hall in the Pharaoh's Palace
A forest of huge columns, lotus-shaped, and towering almost out of sight, supports the roof, which is made of mighty slabs of stone laid flat from column to column. The central aisle is open at the back, and beyond it is a long avenue of sphinxes facing each other, and ending in a great temple. The side aisles seem protracted endlessly, and the light under them gets dimmer as the distance increases, until it finally becomes a greenish mystery. ”

“ ASENATH: [To JOSEPH.] Why is my lord so deeply stirred?
JOSEPH: My bowels yearn for Benjamin!
ASENATH: Who are the men, my lord?
JOSEPH: Wait a little while. [To ENENKHET.] Come hither. [He whispers to him, indicating the BRETHREN, and pointing to his silver cup. ENENKHET shows surprise; then laughs; finally bows in assent.]
ENENKHET: Thy guests are waiting, my lord.
JOSEPH: Sit, I pray you. [The EGYPTIANS sit at once. The BRETHREN are in some confusion.] Reuben, the first-born, according to his birthright, and Simeon, Levi and Judah, the sons of Leah, together ”

“ Conscience alone can give comfort; but speak. SERSERU: I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head; and in the uppermost basket there was all manner of the bakemeats for the Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
[ENENKHET is about to speak, but JOSEPH restrains him with a stern gesture.]
JOSEPH: [Gravely.] This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days. Yet within three days shall the Pharaoh lift up thine head from off thee, and he shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. ”

“ Thy blessing, O Israel!
[All kneel where they happen to be standing. Jacob rises] Jacob. God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved, I am bereaved.
[Zebulun flings open the great curtains at the back. Outside the asses are seen laden for the journey, with Slaves, etc. The Brothers break up amid subdued excitement. Benjamin leaves Jacob, and, sheltering under Judah's arm, goes out. Jacob follows him to the door, where he sinks to the ground, and, picking up handfuls of dust, scatters it on his white hair] ”

“ Into the darkness!
[He drags Tamai among the palms. Enter, L., Wakara, leading the Slaves, who bear a closed litter in which is Zuleika] Zuleika. Set me down. [She emerges from the litter. She is dressed in white, over which she wears a black veil.]
Zuleika. When the moon is straight above the tomb, come and bear me away. Be-gone.
[The Slaves hurry out, to the right side, bearing the litter with them] Zuleika. Thou, go spy whether Simeon cometh.
Wakara. Hast thou no dread? The ghosts of dead men are all about us.
Zuleika. I fear not the dead. Be-gone. ”

“ PHARAOH. If it be no better than theirs, thou dies with them.
[The PRIESTS and MAGICIANS are petrified with fear: PESBES, delighted.]
IRI. We have consulted the stars. It is declared that no man hath ever dreamed such dreams as thine. Wherefore there is no interpretation of them, and to seek it is blasphemy.
[The PHARAOH leaps upright. Movement of the CROWD]
PHARAOH. Are ye here to mock me? By Sneffu and Set, ye shall all to prison and death. ”

“ TEHUTI. Will it please the King to hear Menthu, the high-priest of Neith?
[THE PHARAOH makes a gesture of assent. MENTHU steps forward.]
PHARAOH. Thou, too, art in sorrow today, for thou losest thy daughter, Asenath.
MENTHU. The great goddess, Neith, will reward me tenfold.
PHARAOH [With a touch of contempt.] Well—! Thou and the others, have ye besought the gods? Have ye searched your books? Have ye prayed and offered sacrifice?
MENTHU. All these things have we done.
PHARAOH. My dreams, then? What is
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“ Simeon. In the house of the Overlord of Egypt. I came with my brethren to buy food; and the man called us spies and held me for hostage until my brethren bring our youngest brother, Benjamin——
Zuleika [Insistently] Nay, but the man; knowest thou who the man is?
Simeon. I know nought, save that from him proceedeth life and death. If thou knowest aught of my brother, tell me. For the curse is upon me for his sake.
[Zuleika, seeing Joseph and the Egyptians coming out of the house, gives a signal and is carried on. Simeon follows her a little way] Zuleika. Thy brother liveth. ”

“ The four young SLAVES follow him and kneel. Standing in front of the throne, IMHOTEP takes a large bunch of grapes in both hands and presses its juice into the golden cup, which the other slave holds aloft. IMHOTEP throws the skins into a golden dish brought by the third slave, and dries his hands on the napkin brought by the fourth slave. The SLAVES retire. IMHOTEP takes the cup in both hands, faces the PHARAOH, and sets the cup to his lips. Then he goes up the steps and places the cup in the PHARAOH'S hands. ”

“ Asenath
Soldiers
ACT III
Scene 1—The Yard of the Prison
It is an angular space, carved out of the face of a lofty sandstone cliff, the top of which is out of sight. The three cells are cut in the cliff itself and are closed by heavy bronze doors. On the right, where the cliff leaves off, the yard is protected by a lofty wall built out of the massive blocks of stone. In this is a lofty but very narrow door. Beyond the wall nothing but sky is visible. The whole face of the cliff has been carved with elaborate hieroglyphics. ”

“ Reuben [Entering suspiciously, with Levi] Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in.
Levi. Ay—that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen. ”

“ Enter Servants. They draw the blinds of the central entrance at the back. Enenkhet goes to the opening and beckons off R. Enter the Brethren. They are full of suspicion]
[Meanwhile the Servants set the tables and the cushions, and dress the hall with flowers. One table is set with the four seats on the platform, L. Another table was being set for the Egyptians below the platform, at the right angles with it, near the back, and a third table meant for the Brethren, extreme R., leaving an open space, C.] Enenkhet [At the entrance] Come hither, friends! ”

“ The Hebrews are keenly interested. The EGYPTIANS take no notice of the dancers. Presently ENENKHET takes the cup JOSEPH has drunk from, goes out at door, L. 2., and is seen carrying the cup outside across the garden from the L. to R. Then he returns. ”